Kids aged 12, 13 go on rampage in Kemptville cemetery

A pair of 12-year-old girls and a 13-year-old boy will have to repay their debt to society through hard work after 17 headstones were damaged at a cemetery near Kemptville.​

The headstones were knocked over and some of them were broken.

They were discovered by nearby resident Jody Botham’s father — on Mother’s Day weekend, just as families of those buried at Sandy Hill Cemetery were coming to pay their respects. Botham’s dad had flowers in hand when he laid eyes on the damage.

The vandalism was done sometime between May 9 and 11 at 8724 County Rd. 15 in the village of North Augusta. Damage is estimated at $4,000, according to Kemptville OPP spokesman Const. Rob Prophet.

After receiving witness tips, police arrested the trio.

The Botham family played a role in this, it was Jody’s wife who spotted the pre-teen vandals, perhaps just after the damage was done — she watched them take a newspaper out of her newspaper box.

After the vandalism was discovered, the kids were grilled, but didn’t immediately confess to their crime.

“It’s pretty devastating,” Jody said. “There’s no reason for it.”

Both his grandparents are buried there, as well as great aunts and uncles. In all, there are about 90 plots.

OPP Sgt. Kristine Rae said there is concern about how the repairs will be paid for, as some of the families affected have no surviving members.

“One family had six headstones damaged,” Jody said.

He is a member of the local cemetery committee and said he’s already had offers of help with the repairs and is currently in the process of getting precise estimates of the damage and what each memorial will cost to repair.

“I was raised with the idea that graveyards are not the kind of place where kids should be allowed to play,” Jody said. “Whenever I see kids around there, I always tell them to play somewhere else.”

All three of the culprits are being dealt with through a diversion program, part of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. That means they must complete community service but won’t have a criminal record.

Prophet said the kids could be made to help repair the damage they caused.

“They’ve never been in trouble before,” he said.

There was no method or connection to the damage — all the stones kicked over were along the back of the cemetery, not visible from the road.

Kids aged 12, 13 go on rampage in Kemptville cemetery

A pair of 12-year-old girls and a 13-year-old boy will have to repay their debt to society through hard work after 17 headstones were damaged at a cemetery near Kemptville."

The headstones were knocked over and some of them were broken.

The vandalism was done sometime between May 9 and 11 at the Sandy Hill Cemetery at 8724 County Rd. 15 in Augusta Twp. Damage is estimated at $4,000, according to Kemptville OPP spokesman Const. Rob Prophet.

After receiving witness tips, police arrested the trio.

All have already been dealt with through a diversion program, part of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. That means they must complete community service.